I don't think that "anybody who buys a drone will be screwed" - because a Legacy drone will be able to be used forever, under Open Class subcategory A3. However - If you are considering buying a drone for commercial use, then you have some serious study to do to make sure you know what the new regulations are and how they affect your business, and in that case - yes - it might be wise to defer purchase of new UAV's until they have EASA Class logo markings.So basically Dji will have to sell only EU certified drones in Europe after November this year. But before that date anybody who buys a drone will be screwed.
I agree with you. Just want to have the freedom to fly in the A2 category legally (considering buying a MA2), because the drone is an expensive peace of technology and when I pay for it, I would like to use it to its full capacity. If somebody wants to fly only in the woodlands, that's ok. But if in a couple of months Dji starts selling drones with the appropriate certification, I would feel cheated for buying a drone now.I don't think that "anybody who buys a drone will be screwed" - because a Legacy drone will be able to be used forever, under Open Class subcategory A3. However - If you are considering buying a drone for commercial use, then you have some serious study to do to make sure you know what the new regulations are and how they affect your business, and in that case - yes - it might be wise to defer purchase of new UAV's until they have EASA Class logo markings.
There may be some criticism of what Open Class subcategory A3 will allow us to do as a recreational flyer - and for that - we have our colleagues that love to post videos of illegal flights to thank for ...
I understand your point and agree. I don't know when DJI are going to start manufacturing the MA2 with a Class 1 logo, but to make it A2 compatible, they would have to limit its 'Tripod' mode speed to 3 m/sec and implement broadcast of Operator ID in Go Fly (if that's not already there).I agree with you. Just want to have the freedom to fly in the A2 category legally (considering buying a MA2), because the drone is an expensive peace of technology and when I pay for it, I would like to use it to its full capacity. If somebody wants to fly only in the woodlands, that's ok. But if in a couple of months Dji starts selling drones with the appropriate certification, I would feel cheated for buying a drone now.
I think these are minor adjustments and will be easy to fix. It is just a matter of the EU making the final requirements public, so Dji can implement them and be done with it.
Exactly. We are waiting for a simple marking on the drones. It sounds stupid, but that's the reality. It is in the manufacturers interest, too to resolve it as quickly as possible.Might be worth pointing out that the determining factor over whether an aircraft goes into "Legacy" or not is that little "class marking" on the aircraft, that identifies an aircraft's class under the new regulations (the one that looks like a pilot's wings with a number in the middle). The regulations are - for whatever reason - pretty clear that it CANNOT be applied retrospectively, and without it clearly and indelibly marked on the body of the aircraft it WILL go into Legacy class when the time comes.
The upshot of that is that if you are buying an aircraft without the marking then you need to be certain that it will meet ALL your flight needs once it does go into the Legacy class (possibly in conjuction with an additional CofC), or that you have factored in the budget for a suitable replacement when the time comes.
As an aside, I see no reason why an aircraft released now could not preemptively have the appropriate marking applied - the classes, aircraft specifications, and logo design are all known - so this seems likely to be some kind of procedural or communications failure between EASA and manufacturers to me. If they are seriously taking the position that new drones cannot carry the markings until after July 2020 (or does the CAA's deferral to November at the earliest apply to the rest of the EU as well?) that's going to make for a really miserable year for vendors and completely stuff up this year's sales. At this point there's no way I'd buy a new drone unless I knew it wasn't going to end up as Legacy, and that means having that marking is right at the top of the "Must have features" list.
Just to cloud the issue a bit more, the CAA have stated that they will withdraw from EASA when the BREXIT transition comes to an end. Also, 1st of November is not cast in stone either, any EU state can require a further delay. The CAA have stated that 1st November is the earliest date, not a final date.
I take the stance that 'nothing will happen, untill its happend'. Everything published so far is no more than hot wind. That's why I wont spend a penny on training and certificates. The current rules are what I must comply with, and thats what I do. Trying to double guess what the CAA, EASA, and individual EU member states will do can prove very expensive.
Although I am interested in at least an A2 CofC, until they're finalised and, barring trashing my current aircraft, I'm not planning on buying any new aircraft until they have the new CE markings either.